Cosplayers and their Photographers

When you know a little something about Cosplay, you probably heard about Cosplayers like Maul Cosplay and Leon Chiro and maybe about Photographers like eosAndy. But for those who have no idea: What exactly is Cosplay and what is so special about Cosplay Photography?

What exactly is Cosplay?

Cosplay is a hobby or a profession were people wear costumes to represent a specific character. The term applies to any costumed role playing, not only Anime or Game related. For a long time, Cosplay was a subculture in Europe. But since the 1990s, it became not only a phenomenon in Japan but also in the Western World. Over the last years Conventions became bigger and more people consider Cosplay a hobby of theirs. Social Networks and special Websites where beginners as well as professionals can get in contact with each other take a big part in this evolution.

Over the past decade, especially Anime Conventions have become more numerous in Europe. Beside these, science fiction or comic book conventions and even historical conferences are gatherings, were Cosplayers of all kind meet to show off their latest work and compete in contests. Today its even possible to make a living out of this passion, though its still uncommon to do so.

What is so fascinating about Cosplay?

For every person you’ll ask this question, there’s possibly a slightly different answer to this. Cosplayers spend a lot of time working on their Costumes and usually choose characters from Series or Games they love. For most of them not only the presentation of their Cosplay in a Shooting or at a convention is the fun-part of this hobby. It’s also the time they invest in recreating a Characters appearance and even his movements and expressions.

What’s the special thing about Cosplay Photography?

Being seen and photographed at conventions still is a big part of every project. Many photographers visit Anime, Science Fiction or Comic book conventions. This is due to the fact that you´re able to get some unusual and interesting pictures with people who are just as passionate about their hobby like they are about photography.

But beside the shootings on Conventions, Photographers and Cosplayers also do Sessions at special locations which suite the characters or at the Studio. The pictures taken in these Shootinggs are often sold as Posters from professional Cosplayers. But also for Amateurs getting professional pictures of their work is often an important part to finish a project.

Photos of certain Characters often need to get altered to match the characters origin or abilities while some characters appear best in a natural setting. When taking Cosplay pictures, a photographer and Cosplayer decide together which setting would suit the character and which poses to do. This is a challenge in comparison to the fact that with a usual model, the photographer usually decides how the picture should look in the end.